Electric block-signal.



' Nn. 714,734; Patented nec. 2, |902.

\ E. m. NORTH.

ELECTRIC BLOCK SIGNAL.

` (Applicatimx filed Mgr. 22, 1902.) (No Model.)

Y N 'f r 77g Z faQ- -HHHH "ATENT Fries.

EDGAR M. NORTH, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

ELECTRIC BLOCK-SIGNAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 714,734, dated December 2, 1902.

Application tiled March 22,1902. Serial No. 99,429. (No model.)

` To LZZ whom, iz; may concern:

Be it known thatI, EDGAR M. NORTH, a citizen of the United States, residing atBrooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvem ents in Electric Block-Signals; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has relation to automatic signals designed, primarily, as a block-signal system for railways; and it consists of certain novel features of combination and construction of parts, the preferred form whereof will be hereinafterfully described, illustrated,and pointed out in the'claim.

Theobject of my invention is to provide an electrically-actuated system of cooperating parts initially set into motion by mechanical appliances, as the Vlangeof a wheel of an electric car or railway-train.

A further object is to insure thatif one car or train follows too closely upony another the motorman or engineer in the following car or train will be instantly and unerringly informed that heis upon the closed block of the preceding train, such information being cornmnnicated to the man in charge by any of the well-known devices, as a red light placed at a convenient point or the ringing of a warning- `bell.

Other objectsand advantages will be fully apparent from the following specification, which must be considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 illustrates a portion of an ordinary electric car provided with a depending brush, as is common, and also showing a contact-rail properly insulated and duly located near the trackway to be contacted bysaid brush. Fig.

` 2 is a top plan view of a section of a track,

showing a block or portion of thetrack provided with my automatic signaling devices. Fig. 31's a detail view, partly in section, of

' partof'myinvention, showin g manner of closing a portion of the electric circuits, while Fig. 4 is a similar view of other cooperating parts.

In order to conveniently designate the several features of my invention and cooperating accessories, numerals will be employed, of which 1 is a shoe or brush properly insulated in any of the well-known ways and suspended from-a car or locomotive, said shoe or brush being designed to contact with the insulated terminal 2, which is mounted at a proper height adjacent to the trackway, as'upon the linsMating-standards 3, so as to be in position Abracket 8, to which I pivotallysecu re the lever 9, having upon its outer end the semaphore-like terminal 10 and upon its inner end the beveled edge 11, which latter is designed to engage the armature-pawl 12, pivoted in position upon a suitable support, as indicated by the numeral 13, said pawl being designed to be controlled by the magnet 14, as will be hereinafter more particularly pointedout. I pivotally connect the lever 9 with the outer end of the lever 15, which is properly mounted in position (preferably below the surface of the trackway) by means of the link-section 16. The lever 15 extends under the trackway and has pivoted thereto the verticallydisposed pin 17, which is held in its operative position by means of the bracket 18 and is designed to be engaged by the fiange of the wheel and forced downward, thereby causing the lever 9 to be bodily elevated or moved upon its pivot-point and bring the beveled end thereof under the hook-terminal of the armat-ure-pawl. When the lever 9 has been elevated into the position occupied by the dotted lines in Fig. 3, it will cause the elevation of the pins 19 and 20, both of which are held normally downward by means of the coiled spring 21', as clearly shown. When the pins 19 and 2O are thus elevated, each will engage its respective contact-point or terminal 22 and 23, said contacts being respectively provided with the wires 24 and 25. The elevation of the pins will thus close the circuit between the wires 5 and 25 and also the circuit represented by the wires 24 and 26.

It will be observed that the wire 25 is in connection with the battery or other source of 'electrical energy, inasmuch `as batteries `or dynamos may be employed, as desired. The wire 5 extends into engagement with the railterminal or contact-point 2, as hereinbefore stated.' It is therefore obvious that when the circuit is closed between the wires 5 and 25 the terminal 2 becomes energized or electrically charged, and if therefore a second train should come upon this end of the block or track-section the brush l, being connected with a light or bell in the car, the motorman Will thereby cause a Warning'placed in vieW or sound of the engineer or motorman and he will thereby know that he is too closely following the preceding train or car and should stop or check his speed accordingly.

At the last end of the block or track-section covered by my automatic signaling system I place the devices illustrated in Fig. 4, comprising the lever 27, properly disposed similarly to the lever l5 below the surface of the trackway and pivoted upon the bolt 28 and provided at its inner end with the vertically-disposed pin 29, held in position by the bracket 30, so as to be in the path of the flange of the wheel. The outer end of the lever 27 may be provided with a semaphore 31 and is also provided with an insulated contact-point 32, which is in connection with the contactpoint 22 by means ofthe wire 24. I also provide upon the block 33 the insulated contact-point 34,placed in electrical connection with the contact-point 23 by means of the Wire 25, and it is therefore obvious that when the ilange of the wheel engages a pin 29 the outer end of the lever 27 will be elevated, causin g the contactpoint 32 to engage the contact-point 34, and thereby close the circuit of the wires 23 and 25. When the electrical contact is thus completed between the points 32 and 34, the current passes from wire 25 through 24 and 26 to the electromagnet 14, thereby energizing said magnet and causing it to drag the upper free end of the armature-pawl 12 and draw the hook-terminal thereof out of engagement with the beveled end il, thus releasing the lever 9, which reassumes the position shown in full lines in Fig. 3, and thus breaking electrical connections between the points 19 and 20 and the contact-points 22 and 23.

It will of course be understood that if preferre'd the current may be switched on and off of the contact-rail 2 manually, though the means herein illustrated and described will be found perfectly automatic and reliable in the performance of their office. It will be further obvious that various mechanical or electrical substitutes and equivalents may be adopted in carrying out my invention, and I therefore wish to comprehend all such substitutes and equivalents as fairly fall within the scope of my invention, my aim being to provide means for protecting any car or train while upon a block or track-section covered and controlled by my appliance, substantially as herein illustrated and described.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The herein-described block-signal,compris ing an insulated terminal or rail-section 2 adjacent to the trackway; a brush depending from the car and adapted to engage said terminal; a semaphore-lever pivotally mounted at the initial end of the block; suitable means to place said leverin the control of the passing wheel whereby the lever will be elevated; an armature having a hook adapted to secure said lever in an elevated position; suitable electric circuits; means coperating with said lever to close said circuits when the latter is raised; an electric magnet coperating with said armature, all substantially as speciiied and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDGAR M. NORTH. Witnesses:

LUCY A. NORTH, ELIZABETH C. WILsoN. 

